The Indianapolis Colts selected pass-rusher Kwity Paye out of Michigan at No. 21 in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Paye was the second pass-rusher taken Thursday after the Dolphins picked Jaelan Phillips at No. 18.
A wild week for #Michigan pass-rusher Kwity Paye, who had a very serious health scare when his heart was red-flagged during a pre-draft physical. In the end, teams cleared Paye completely, source said, after his team arranged for endless tests.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 30, 2021
The Colts were widely expected to target a replacement for retired left tackle Anthony Castonzo or a defensive end in the opening round.
Indy ranked 12th in team sacks last season but lost Denico Autry to the Tennessee Titans in free agency and opted not to re-sign Justin Houston.
The uber-athletic Paye will join a young, unproven pass-rusher group that also includes 2018 second-rounder Kemoko Turay and 2019 second-rounder Ben Banogu.
Draft profile
Key stats (2019): 6.5 sacks, 12.5 TFLs, 50 tackles
Paye has as much upside as any edge defender, and perhaps as much as any defensive player overall, in this talented class. The question is, how accurately can you project an ascent based on his rare athletic traits - and to be clear, we're betting on it quite a bit. Paye's movement ability is ridiculous, his effort is outstanding, and he had some truly dominant flashes at Michigan. Some patience will be required, as the pass-rush repertoire is still a work in progress, but there's plenty of reason to believe that NFL coaching and a full-time role more suited to his skill set on the edge will get the absolute most out of physical gifts that you just can't teach.
